The documents or portions thereof referenced within this specification shall be considered part of the requirements of the specification. The edition indicated for each referenced document is the current edition, as of the date of the APTA issuance of this specification.
Legal Requirements
The Contractor shall comply with all applicable federal, state and local regulations. These shall include but not be limited to ADA, as well as state and local accessibility, safety and security requirements. Local regulations are defined as those below the state level.
Buses shall meet all applicable FMVSS and shall accommodate all applicable FMCSR regulations in effect at location of the Agency and the date of manufacture.
In the event of any conflict between the requirements of these specifications and any applicable legal requirement, the legal requirement shall prevail. Technical requirements that exceed the legal requirements are not considered to conflict.
Overall Requirements
The Contractor shall ensure that the application and installation of major bus subcomponents and systems are compliant with all such subcomponent vendors’ requirements and recommendations. Contractor and Agency shall identify subcomponent vendors that shall submit installation/application approval documents with the completion of a pilot or lead bus. Components used in the vehicle shall be of heavy-duty design and proven in transit service.
Weight
It shall be a design goal to construct each bus as light in weight as possible without degradation of safety, appearance, comfort, traction or performance.
Buses at a capacity load shall not exceed the tire factor limits, brake test criteria or structural design criteria.
Capacity
The vehicle shall be designed to carry the gross vehicle weight, which shall not exceed the bus GVWR.
Service Life
The minimum useful design life of the bus in transit service shall be at least twelve (12) years or 500,000 miles. It shall be capable of operating at least 40,000 miles per year, including the 12th year.
Maintenance and Inspection
Scheduled maintenance tasks shall be related and shall be, in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommended preventative maintenance schedule (along with routine daily service performed during the fueling operations).
Test ports, as required, shall be provided for commonly checked functions on the bus, such as air intake, exhaust, hydraulic, pneumatic, charge-air and engine cooling systems.
The coach manufacturer shall give prime consideration to the routine problems of maintaining the vehicle. All coach components and systems, both mechanical and electrical, which will require periodic physical Work or inspection processes shall be installed so that a minimum of time is consumed in gaining access to the critical repair areas. It shall not be necessary to disassemble portions of the coach structure and/or equipment such as seats and flooring under seats in order to gain access to these areas. Each coach shall be designed to facilitate the disassembly, reassembly, servicing or maintenance, using tools and equipment that are normally available as standard commercial items.
Requirements for the use of unique specialized tools will be minimized. The body and structure of the coach shall be designed for ease of maintenance and repair. Individual panels or other equipment which may be damaged in normal service shall be repairable or replaceable. Ease of repair shall be related to the vulnerability of the item to damage in service.
Contractor shall provide a list of all special tools and pricing required for maintaining this equipment. Said list shall be submitted as a supplement to the Pricing Schedule.
NOTE: Tools such as compartment door keys, bellows gauges and other tools that are required for daily maintenance and inspections shall not be included in the special tool list and shall be furnished for each coach.
Interchangeability
Unless otherwise agreed, all units and components procured under this Contract, whether provided by Suppliers or manufactured by the Contractor, shall be duplicates in design, manufacture and installation to ensure interchangeability among buses in each order group in this procurement. This interchangeability shall extend to the individual components as well as to their locations in the buses. These components shall include, but are not limited to, passenger window hardware, interior trim, lamps, lamp lenses and seat assemblies. Components with non-identical functions shall not be, or appear to be, interchangeable.
Any one component or unit used in the construction of these buses shall be an exact duplicate in design, manufacture and assembly for each bus in each order group in this Contract. Contractor shall identify and secure approval for any changes in components or unit construction provided within a Contract.
In the event that the Contractor is unable to comply with the interchangeability requirement, the Contractor must notify the Agency and obtain the Agency’s prior written approval, including any changing in pricing.
Agency shall review proposed product changes on a case-by-case basis and shall have the right to require extended warranties to ensure that product changes perform as least as well as the originally supplied products.
NOTE: The following is illustrative; the Agency should carefully specify its training requirements.
The Contractor shall have at least one qualified instructor who shall be available at the Agency’s property for [insert number] calendar days between the hours of [insert starting time] and [insert closing time] per month for [insert number] months prior to, and [insert number] months after, acceptance of the first bus. Instructor(s) shall conduct schools and advise the personnel of the Agency on the proper operation and maintenance of the equipment. The Contractor also shall provide visual and other teaching aids (such as manuals, slide presentations and literature) for use by the Agency’s own training staff and which become the property of the Agency.
NOTE: The Agency should insert language that specifies the hours when it wants the training to occur, the total number of hours of instruction it wants to be provided, what items it expects the curriculum to cover and the format in which it expects the training and teaching aids to be provided (print, DVD, etc.).
Technical/Service Representatives
The Contractor shall, at its own expense, have one or more competent technical service representatives available on request to assist the Agency in the solution of engineering or design problems within the scope of the specifications that may arise during the warranty period. This does not relieve the Contractor of responsibilities under the provisions of “Section 7: Warranty Requirements.”
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